(Source: Eno Center for Transportation, January 19, 2024)
The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials met on January 18 to discuss the oversight of railroad grade crossing elimination and safety issues. During the hearing, Subcommittee Ranking Member Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ) said that the hearing was long overdue, given the number of railroad safety issues in recent years. Regarding grade crossings, Payne noted that recent video showing school children crawling under a stopped freight train at a grade crossing just to get to school is an indication of the dangerous risk grade crossings can pose and the sense of urgency for Congress to not only hold a hearing on railroad safety but propose legislation. Full Committee Ranking Member Rep. Larsen (D-WA) echoed the sentiment, adding that in 2022, there were around 22,000 reports of blocked crossings, and he emphasized the need to address the issue.
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